11:52 december 31st. but her twin sister, sophia, waited for 2014. she arrived about 30 seconds after midnight on january 1st. the girls will actually have their very own birthdays and birth years. that's pretty cool. thanks for watching "around the world." "cnn newsroom" starts right now. have a good afternoon. right now, blizzard conditions and below zero windchillsing looking at live pictures from chicago, cleveland, pittsburgh. watching the radar, watching the roads and the flights as this massive storm marches across the united states. right now, marijuana suppliers in colorado worried they won't be able to keep up with demand. turnout at pot shops so heavy they have to turn customers away. new questions about the future of the democratic party. why bill de blasio's rise may make hillary clinton and the rest of the 2016 field veer to

the left. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com hello, i'm john berman, wolf blitzer is off today, hopefully somewhere warm. we begin with the first major snowstorm of the season. it is going to have a huge impact on about 100 million people, including all those holiday travelers. watches, warnings posted in 19 states from indiana all the way up to maine. with the storm reaching the east coast tonight, it's going slam head-on into another storm system, creating a powerful nor'easter with heavy snow, high winds, subzero windchills. we are tracking this storm from the cnn weather center. we have correspondents in all affected regions. i want to start with ted rowlands, outside chicago. this hit the midwest first, hundreds of flights grounded there. how bad are the travel conditions right now?

>> reporter: well, they're horrible on the roads, as you can imagine. snowing steadily basically since new year's eve day for 2 1/2 days straight, trying to keep roads clear near impossible. they're pulling it off. mother nature putting it back in. then you mentioned flight cancellations and delays. o'hare hardest hit but that will change as we move through tonight into tomorrow and the storm moves out, the snow will move towards the east, and then chicagoans can enjoy subzero temperatures. it is going to go from bad to worse here. hopefully people have the day off tomorrow and can stay inside because they're expecting horribly cold temperatures here in the chicago land area. >> thanks so much. from bad to worse is a theme for millions of people. margaret conley in boston, expecting a huge impact there. this storm's going to collide with the second storm, morphing into a major nor'easter. how is boston preparing? >> reporter: john, the worst has

yet to come. boston has declared this as snow emergency. snow has started overnight, it's going to pick up this afternoon, it's going to get worse this evening and until tomorrow. how bad? we've got our measuring stick right here. we've got only 2 inches and going up to a foot. we've got this much more coming. freezing temperatures are going to be below 3 degrees. you can see on the streets here, not many people around. there was a postman earlier, other people are shoveling snow. but the concern here is the wind. there's a beg wind factor. and the snow is light. that's creating a blizzard effect which causes low visibility. that's an issue for travelers on the road and in the plain planes. flights delayed or postponed and on the ground, there have been accidents that we've heard reported because of weather. so be very careful on roads. here's more from governor patrick. >> if you're asked to stay off the road at the height of the storm or evacuate, ahead of

flooding conditions, please pay attention and respond quickly. temperatures are expected to plummet tonight and tomorrow, with windchills reaching as low as 25 degrees below zero. that is a very, very dangerous set of circumstances. >> reporter: john, one more thing. as public schools have been shut down, all of the kids are going to get a snow day on friday. >> they got ready early. they called off school yesterday for boston, hearing 40 mile an hour speed limits on major highways, taking major precautions. here, new york, city of 8 million people, going to get hit by the storm as well and hit hard. alexandria feel is on the street. this is the new mayor, bill de blasio's first big test as mayor. what's he doing to prepare? >> reporter: yeah, talk about a test on his second day in office. all eyes on how the mayor will get the city of 8 million people through the storm.

we know, so far, the commissioner of the department of sanitation has agreed to stay on through the storm to help make this transition smooth, not just for the mayor but all of the people affected by this. the forecast calls for 5 to 10 inches of snow in new york. meteorologists are zeroing in on the 6 to 8 inch number. and that's real lay lot of snow in new york city. so it's taken a lot of planning that's being done under the mayor's leadership now. department of sanitation says its crews will be working around the clock. they got out there this morning at 7:00, in advance of the storm that's going to hit later this afternoon and into the evening. and they will be staying on 12-hour shifts of 2300 employees at a time. 365 salt trucks are hit the streets to try to smooth out roads before any trouble happens. 1600 plows have been attached to the city's garbage trucks. everyone's in place, ready to go. we are now waiting for a lot of snow on top of that, winds are picking up and it's just these

bone-chilling temperatures. a test for the mayor and for the rest of us, just a bitter start to the new year, john. >> big storms can test mayors, make or break them. imagine having to deal with it on your third day. we'll go to meteorologist alexandra steele, who will see the worst of it? >> the end game in terms of the snow accumulation, boston sees 8 to 14, providence, 8 to 12. so it's southern new england that will see the strongest. 6 to 8 in yarmuth, hyannis as well. springfield, mass, 8 to 12. new york, 6 to 8. this is not just a snowstorm. this is a storm that has incredibly cold temperatures and fierce wind. that's why blizzard warnings are in effect for long island and the cape from tonight until tomorrow at 1:00. all right. here's the wind speed. this this afternoon. bull's-eye time period for the

worst of it 8 to tonight to 8 tomorrow morning. gusts 48 in boston, that's tonight. by tomorrow, gusting to 50, that's why, of course, we'll see incontinues problems not only on the road but was airports as well. 36 gusting. south of philadelphia, even washington gusting into the 40s. so that's the wind, certainly one aspect of this. temperatures, another aspect. boston dropped saturday morning to 3 below. boston has not dropped below zero for three years, since january 2011, in the counting wins. windchills 20 below zero. bank on an intense 12 to 18 hours. thursday, it's here, of course, pennsylvania, new york, long island, new york city, new jersey. overnight, into tomorrow morning, then the winds start an the storm is a fait accompli in terms of snow moves out by noon. but the incredibly strong winds come in and that's why we've got blizzard warning as well. bigger picture, where the

heaviest snow is, bull's-eye southeastern new england. watches and warnings, 22 states, 98 million people. here where the blizzard warnings are, they are there not only because we'll see snow but incredibly strong, gusty winds to 45 miles per hour, john. >> brutal temperatures and ferocious winds. thanks to everyone here. cnn will be covering every angle of this storm, some 100 million people affected over the next 24 hours, so stay with us. next, he's been called a traitor. he's facing criminal charges for leaking government secrets but now, two newspapers are calling edward snowden a whistle-blower, one even says he's done a great service for the u.s. a push for snowden to get clemency. colorado on a rocky mountain high today. yes, we said it. day two of legal pot sales in that state. but hundreds of people had to be turned away yesterday.

we'll have a live report from denver, next. [ male announcer ] this is the story of the little room over the pizza place on chestnut street the modest first floor bedroom in tallinn, estonia and the southbound bus barreling down i-95. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored to be part of some of the world's great stories. that began much the same way ours did. in a little dorm room -- 2713. ♪ this magic moment ♪ ttdd# 1-800-345-2550 can take you in many directions. searching for trade ideas that spark your curiosity tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you read this. watch that. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you look for what's next. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at schwab, we can help turn inspiration into action tdd# 1-800-345-2550 boost your trading iq with the help of tdd# 1-800-345-2550 our live online workshops tdd# 1-800-345-2550 like identifying market trends. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 now, earn 300 commission-free online trades.

call 1-888-628-7118 or go to schwab.com/trading to learn how. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 sharpen your instincts with market insight from schwab tdd# 1-800-345-2550 experts like liz ann sonders and randy frederick. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 get support and talk through your ideas with our tdd# 1-800-345-2550 trading specialists. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 all with no trade minimum. and only $8.95 a trade. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 open an account and earn 300 commission-free online trades. call 1-888-628-7118 to learn more. so you can take charge of your trading. humans -- even when we cross our "t's" and dot our "i's," we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness with our auto policies. if you qualify, your rates won't go up due to your first accident. because making mistakes is only human,

and so are we. we also offer new car replacement, so if you total your new car, we give you the money for a new one. call liberty mutual insurance at... and ask us all about our auto features, like guaranteed repairs, where if you get into an accident and use one of our certified repair shops, your repairs are guaranteed for life. so call... to talk with an insurance expert about everything that comes standard with our base auto policy. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? welcome back.

live pictures from chicago there on your left, pittsburgh on your right. you know, cities like this across the midwest and the northeast looking just like this right now, a major winter storm system, actually two of them, impacting 100 million people. temperatures could dip below zero, not 32, actual zero in some places. wind gusts in excess of 50 miles an hour. a major storm. cnn covering every angle of it. stay with us over the next 24 hours, we'll be bringing you the latest as it comes in to us. meanwhile, on the subject of cold, a ten-day, bone-chilling ordeal that had dozens of people stranded at bottom of the world is over for the most part. chinese ice breaker successfully removed 52 passengers who had been stuck since christmas eve there. however, not everyone is off this stranded ship. 22 russian crew members remain

on board and they will stay there until the ice pack breaks and they're able to get this vessel moving again. other news, he spilled the beans on top secret surveillance program business the nsa. does that make edward node snowden a whistle-blower? an editorial says yes. listen to this. he may have committed a crime, but he's done his country a great service. it is time for the united states to offer mr. snowden a plea bargain or some form of clemency. evan perez joins us now. in addition to "new york times" "the guardian" calling for clemency. explain what criminal chargeses, remain us the charges he's facing. >> john, the charges that were filed in alexandria include theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information,

these are under the espionage act. and they carry some stiff sentences, talking about decades in prison potentially. so these are very, very serious charges that he faces, if he were to come back from russia. as you mentioned, editorials are calling for perhaps some kind of deal to be made. and that is a very difficult thing to be done while he's still sitting in russia. obviously the u.s. government looks at him as someone who has broken the law and, you know, the impact of the leaks for the last few months, since these started coming out has been severe, according to the fbi and people in intelligence agency. they say it's ruined some of their cooperation with other intelligence agencies and other countries. and they say that terrorist organizations are using other methods of communication to avoid detection, john. >> snowden's critics call him a traitor. the obama administration has been pushed on this notion of

clemency in the past, they haven't seemed to jump on it at all. that is likely to change? what ramifications are we dealing with if clemency were to be granted? >> i think this a question that a few people have been thinking. i think the -- one of the top officials at nsa said recently in an interview that perhaps this is something to be thought about. i know from having conversations myself, you do -- you get the sense these folks would love for leaks to stop and one way to do that would be perhaps to bring him back and to offer some kind of deal. but you know, the idea of doing this is very complicated one. first of all, snowden himself has said he's working with journalists who are located in brazil, germany, elsewhere, and that they have the documents. so the question of making any kind of negotiation would have to involve journalists who would have to give up perhaps those documents that the u.s.

government would want back. the attorney general, eric holder, i asked him the question and he told me this is something he would oppose. this is a question that they, themselves, are encouraging by saying that snowden has done a good thing by starting a conversation about privacy and about surveillance, which we have not had since 9/11, john. >> the discussion is very much on. implications, huge. there could be serious fallout here. evan perez, thank you. a close look at all issues legal and political. they are huge. we'll discuss odds of the government making this type of deal later this hour. safe to say, colorado marijuana stores are on a bit of a high today. hundreds lined up outside pot dispensaries yesterday for the first legal day of marijuana sales. but hundreds more had to be turned away. it seems that demand was just too high. there, we did it again. casey wian is in denver today.

casey, were business owners surprised by this turnout or did they expect those run on pot? >> reporter: john, they were a little bit surprised. they expected big lines, big crowds but didn't expect them to be quite so big. at one retail pot shop, we were at all day yesterday, they had more than 800 people show up and take a number to wait in line for their turn to buy marijuana legally for personal use for the first time in colorado's history. here what happens the owner of the store had to say. >> it has been absolutely amazing. there are more people here than we ever expected. and there are so many excited people taking part in this that we knew it was going to be a big deal but we had no idea that there were going to be so many people out here. >> of the 800 people that took a number, only about 400 of them were able to buy marijuana.

it's not because they ran out of product. they simply ran out of time. according to the city of denver's laws, you can open a recreational pot shop from 8:00 in the morning until 7:00 at night. by 7:00 they had to cut off sales which means folks who didn't get their pot yesterday are back in line outside that store today. >> eager customers right there. break it down. how much are you allowed to buy? how much are people paying for it now? >> reporter: depends who are you. if you're a colorado state resident you can buy up to one ounce. coming in from out of state, a quarter of an ounce. you can't take it across state lines. prices are high. for an eighth of an ounce, $50, plus tax in the neighborhood of 25%, john. >> casey did it, too, saying prices are high. a story that has sparked the imagination. casey wian in colorado at a growing center where marijuana's being grown all around. liberals seem to be getting

their groove back. new york's new mayor outlines a progressive agenda that could influence 2016 presidential race. i'm going to speak with ron brownstein about what is called the liberal resurgence.

all right. looking at live pictures of central park bracing for a major snowstorm that is moving this way. this storm will affect everywhere from the midwest to maine. 19 states, temperatures in some places below zero. wind gusts upwards of 50 miles per hour, more than a foot of snow. a major storm. covering every angle over the next day and a half. stay with cnn for the latest on this storm. some political analysts predicting this will be one of the big stories of 2014. we're talking about the resurgence of liberals within the democratic party. new york's new mayor emerging as a liberal standard bearer. bill de blasio sworn in yesterday by bill clinton. wasting no time outlining a

sweeping progressive agenda. >> we are called to put an end to economic and social inequalities that threaten to unravel the city we love. so today we commit to a new progressive direction in new york. and that same progressive impulse has written our city's history. it's in our dna. >> you know, de blasio's words were more moderate than a lot of people on the stage. ron brownstein joins us from the national journal studios in washington. you've been writing about this for some time. the shift left in some cases, in the democratic party. how significant a shift are we talking about here? >> first, happy new year, john. i think it is significant, and it's a real trend driven by a combination of factors.

one is the nature of the issues we're debating now, inequality has moved higher on the agenda, particularly within the democratic party after 13 years in which the median income is lower than it was in 2000. secondly, the increasing polarization in washington, and in fact all of the states as well, that kind of environment's elevates warriors who are more ideological over the dealmakers, who are more moderate. the nature of the democratic coalition, the people who vote for them is changing in a way undeniably moving party left. >> de blasio embracing higher taxes, which is not something you hear more these days, embracing higher spending, again, something not discussed at a federal level that much any more these days. how do these discussions, these words, affect the national democratic party? >> i think it's -- on the tax side, there has been more discussion nationally. i think it reflects the shift in the center of gravity in the

democratic party. what we've seen happen over the last 20 years, and really accelerating under president obama, voters who used to nail down the right flank of the democratic coalition, which tend to be older and blue collar whites, they've sheered off like an iceberg and many moved toward the republican party and replaced within that democratic coalition by minority and millennial goenratienerate vote are more liberal and created a constituency, with pot legalization in colorado, gay marriage, the center of graft inside the democratic coalition is moving on these issues as nature of their coalition evolves. >> these are the new democrats, ron. what about the old, new democrats, people who might have the last name clinton, for instance? bill clinton given credit for changing the democratic party in 1990s. you think hillary clinton wants to inherit that mantel, to a certain extent. how does this discussion affect them going forward? >> it's a good question.

bill clinton made enormous strides restoring the national competitiveness of the democratic parties after three wipeouts of the '80s. this is a different democratic party than he ran in. when he won in 1992 only a third of the people who voted for him identified as liberals, for president obama it was 43. number could be even higher in the democratic primaries, likely will be even higher in a democratic primary in 2016, and that's going to create a pressure on hillary clinton. the party's not looking at much for the kind of deal making tree ainge gu later bill clinton impart embody. she has to be cogi cognizant. >> elizabeth warren said she is not wrunning. this is a subject we'll be discussing a lot. happy new year. >> thank you. take a look at something.

much of the northeast is about to see a whole lot more of this. snow, ice, wind. this nor'easter is brew, it's going to affect near 100 million people. who will be hit the hardest, some snow totals, wind speeds that will blow your mind.

we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement, standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual at... today. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

brace yourself, two winter storms on course to collide over the east coast, creating a powerful nor'easter. everyone in the storm's path will get blasted with heavy snow fall, strong, strong winds. blizzard warnings in effect for some areas of massachusetts, also in new york. covering the story from every angle. margaret in boston, alexandra steele tracking the storm from the cnn weather center. i want to start in boston. it seems like that might get hit with the worst of it. bracing for a foot of snow there. how than city preparing? >> reporter: john, logan airport, they've stayed open this whole time. but we're hearing they're going to close at 8:30 p.m. tonight through until noon friday.

flights will stop. that's because of strong winds and that's been the big concern here, especially on the coastal parts. coastal parts of massachusetts could get wins up to 50 miles per hour. emergency crews there preparing for warming centers and shelters in that area. here in boston, you can see, not many people out on the streets. we have the postmen, they've been out here. but right now, emergency people are saying that if you're out here, prepare to have an emergency kit available. have extra blankets, extra food, flashlights for those -- batteries for your flashlights. last thing that we're keeping trag of here, john, the number of snowplows that are out. this morning there were 1100. now up to 1900 snowplows in the state of massachusetts, capacity of 4,000. so that is how this storm is creeping up and there's more and more snow expected.

john? >> margaret's having her hat blown off already, this is nowhere near the worst of it. winds will get much, much stronger. thanks so you. at reagan national airport, across the potomac, this is a holiday week. millions traveling, at least millions will try to travel. how much of an impact is this storm going to have for people who want to go off in the air? >> john, it's already having a major travel impact. so many people trying to get home from their holiday plans, we're here outside washington, d.c., at reagan national airport. look at this board, spots of red, canceled flights. seeing many canceled flights here at national airport. this isn't the worst of it. across the country, seeing worse. 1600 u.s. flight cancellations today. 3400 delays, most of those cancellations and delays at chicago's airport, o'hare. and as margaret said in boston,

logan airport, already canceling putting flights down for overnight between 8:30 p.m. and noon tomorrow, no flights in the air from boston logan. we spoke with a spokesman for the d.c. area airports here. here what happens he said how they're ready for the domino effect of air travel. >> because so much of the traffic goes to places like boston and new york, we do expect some effects as we go into the evening into the cities. it seems like the character of this storm is not so much the amount of snow that's coming in, it's the intensity and the wins that will be associated with that it will make air travel difficult to bostons and new york. >> here at d.c., they know this storm will wreak a lot of havoc, they have staff on standby, here through the night, waiting for the storm to hit in the area and helping with delays. one thing is for sure, for travel, it is going to be a hard 24 hours for travelers are and

certainly for the airlines as well. >> this is going to be a mess. so many people, i think, waiting until thursday, friday, saturday to come home from vacations. it will not be easy. thanks to you. meteorologist alexandra steele tracking the storm's path. who is going to get hit hardest? >> washington, cities go, they will see the best of it boston seeing the worst as big cities go. this is the end game, total in terms of snow. 8 to 14 in boston, the cape 6 to 8. 6 to 8 in central mass. 8 to 12 in hartford, connecticut. this has dangerously cole temperatures, coldest in three years for some and also the really robust winds, thus the blizzard warnings from late today until tomorrow at 1:00 for the cape and also long island. here are the wind speeds. watch these. this is why we'll have troubles

at airports. 48 gust, 11:00 tonight. 30 in new york city. we get up into the 50 overnight tonight into tomorrow. the worst of it, kind of the bull's-eye time wise, 8:00 tone until 8:00 tomorrow morning and things improve. morning lows, friday morning, friday night into saturday morning, temperatures straight air temperature, 3 below. boston has not been there in three years. it will feel like 12 below. albany, new york, feel like 18 below. new york city, it will feel like 5 below. that will be early morning on saturday. so here's the time line of the storm. again, 8:00 to 8:00, that's the worst. 9:00, you can see the big cities ensconced in snow. overflight, morning still, here's the backside of the snow, but still have the snow 7:00, so morning flights certainly. but afternoon, snow departs around noon but it's very cold arctic air with incredibly strong winds on the backside of the nor'easter that will give

this a bite. bigger picture, philly, 4 to 7 inches. washington, 2 to 4 inches the winds won't be as strong down there as they will be bull's-eye for wins right here. the cape and also long island. the problem with this, of course, blizzard warnings aren't just about the snow, john. they're about the wins gusting and the snow that's falling done have a lot of water content. so it's very light and fluffy, thus blowing around, visible's down to a quarter i've mile. that's the biggest problem here. >> this wind, the temperatures, dropping below zero, can be very dangerous. alexandra steele, thank you. we want to update you on the storm all day long, all night long, as well. we do have a special treat, a programming note. tonight, huddled up inside your warm houses, turning to cnn for 9:00 eastern for march of the penguins, oscar-winning, heart melting documentary film, you will not want to miss this. talk about dudes who know how to deal with snow, 9:00.

coming up, is he a whistle-blower or a traitor or something in between? two major newspapers are calling for clemency for edward snowden. we'll examine the legal and political implications of this, coming up. my name is jenny, and i quit smoking with chantix. before chantix, i tried to quit probably about five times. it werent an the other times i tried to quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix varenicline is proven to help people quit smoking. it's a non-nicotine pill. chantix reduced my urge to smoke. that helped me quit smoking. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking, or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix, and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental-health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away, as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood-vessel problems

or if you delop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping, and unusual dreams. my quit date was my son's birthday, and that was my gift for him and me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. cortizone-10 has the strongest nonprescription itch medicine plus moisturizers to help heal skin fast. cortizone-10. feel the heal.

looking at live pictures of

pittsburgh, pennsylvania. one of dozens and dozens of cities and towns from the midwest to the east coast that will be slammed over the next 24 hours by a major winter storm system. more than a foot of snow in some places. temperatures below zero in many places. stay with cnn for latest on the storm. we'll bring you the information all night and all morning as well. another big story that hit the newsstands, talking about opinions about nsa leaker edward snowden. fall into two categories, those who think he deserves a parade and those who think he should be thrown in jail. the papers came out in favor of clemency for snowden or some plea deal. the times board says, when someone reveals government officials have routinely and deliberately broken the law, that person should not face life in prison at hands of the same government. president obama should tell his aides to begin finding a way to end mr. snowden's vilification

and give him incentive to return home. i want to bring in our senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin with presidential historian and reagan biographer. the times says snowden has done a great service to the country. do you disagree with that? >> i do disagree with that. look, i'm not going to pretend that this hasn't been a healthy conversation for the country, it has been. but edward snowden went about it the wrong way. he broke the law. dramatically. ex-traffic gently. g flagrantly broke the law. instead of doing the right thing, going to congress, going to the inspector general, he fled to china, hong kong, then russia. two countries where freedom of speech is nonexistent compared to the united states. and i don't think that's something that deserves celebration. i think it deserves prosecution. should there be a plea bargain, that's fine with me, i don't think he needs to spend decades

in prison but when you break the law like this, you deserve to pay a price. >> craig you agree with the times and disagree with jeffrey. how do you respond? critics say snowden has damaged important relationships between the was our key allies. >> well, there's no evidence that he's done those type of things, john. this is a very important conversation that he's started with the beginning of the american republic and has gone through with at acts of the time of john adams and jefferson, early 20th century and 100 years late we're revisiting role of the individual in relationship to the state. the founders explicitly said that power should reside with the individual and not government. we've seen under bush and now under barack obama and the washington bureaucracy the aggregation of power away from the individual and state and the

a dangerous trend we're on now. snowden has added greatly and mightily to the national debate, and made something -- done something very important that hasn't been done in the last 10, 15 years. >> jeff, you have a keen sense of history. any precedent for granting him some form of clemency or a plea deal? >> not that i'm aware of it. certainly the closest parallel, one that snowden supporters always use is daniel elsburg, who leaked the pentagon papers who was then prosecuted but the prosecution was thrown out because of various kinds of government misconduct. i think the precedent that this would set is very troubling. because snowden was so successful and stole so much material that he was not entitled to do, the government is so panicked that they want to tray to get it all back. that creates an incentive to steal more than steal less.

notwithstanding this important debate we're having, this is not the way we're supposed to do it and his behavior is not something the government should reward. >> the debate seems to be on the wrong side of the equation, it's on snowden rather than clapper and the nsa. repeatedly the nsa has come forward and caught with their hand in the cookie jar and said, we weren't doing things. yes, we were doing these things. clapper testifies before congress and says nsa is not spying on private citizens, then later revealed he is. no call for contempt of congress citation against him, lying before congress is a federal offense, last i checked. the nsa is panicked, to jeffrey's point, i think because snowden represents a threat because they've engaged in so much walking the line of law breaking and maybe even breaking the 4th amendment by illegal search and seizure sof private american citizens in their places of home and papers and

private activities. >> yjeffrey what about that? a major administration official lying or telling a whole lot less than the total truth before congress? >> well, that's very troubling, and i am not here to defend james clapper at all. but that is a entirely separate question than whether edward snowden should be prosecuted. you know, there's a lot of loose talk about snowden revealed illegalities, he's a whistle-blower. there's exactly one judge who has found the nsa metadata, its big program unconstitutional. every other judge, every other member of congress, every other member of the administration has approved this program. so the idea that he has unrevealed rampant illegality is not true, i think. >> let me say, first of all, fiz za is -- it's not a courter per se, it's a rubber stamp administrative procedure. as far as the core, look at the court of public opinion the ma

majority of the american people see snowden as a whistle-blower, not a law breaker. the second poll, 72% of the american people two weeks ago said their government is their enemy. those are disturbing numbers in the current context of the debate and the context of the 20th century about the role of how much power government should have over the private lives of private american citizens. >> president obama asked this issue of clemency before the holidays and dodged the question. do you think he will have to deal with this issue head on in the coming weeks, especially as he addresses recommendations from hand-picked intelligence committee? >> he will have -- >> yes. >> go ahead. >> jeffrey, i agree with jeffrey, i think the president is going to have to deal with it. there's too much sunlight on snoweden and continues to be.

the acceleration of public opinion is working for him and against the government, and if the president wants to stan. the bleeding wound he's going to have to deal with it. >> guys. >> commander and chief of the military, he's not going to give snowden a break, all though he may make appropriate changes in the nsa program. >> he did say he was expecting to make major statements on this relatively soon. i expect them before this month or before or in the state of the union. thank you. happy new year to you both. moving on, shock and grief in california. a beloved priest is found dead inside his church residence. police have opened a murder investigation. we'll have details when we come back. [ male announcer ] this is the story of the dusty basement at 1406 35th street the old dining table at 25th and hoffman. ...and the little room above the strip mall off roble avenue. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more.

dell is honored to be part of some of the world's great stories. that began much the same way ours did. in a little dorm room -- 2713. ♪ this magic moment ♪ i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. to me, relationships matter.

i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. so don't wait. call now and request this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare... and which aarp medicare supplement plan might be best for you. there's a wide range to choose from. we love to travel -- and there's so much more to see. so we found a plan that can travel with us. anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs.

call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. you're looking at live pictures from albany, new york, right now. does that look cold to you? it's very, very cold. it's actually tape, still looks just as cold. it's three degrees there right now. that's 3. with the windchill, it feels like minus 12. that is very, very cold. they're going to get temperatures like this over a huge swath of this country from the midwest all the way to the northeast. a major, major storm system affecting millions of people. there will be more than a foot of snow in some places. wind speeds upwards of 50 miles per hour in other places and these cold, cold temperatures. stay with us all day and all

night. we'll bring you the latest on the major storm system. we have orthnews. >> authorities in eureka, california, have opened a murder investigation after a priest was found dead. friends describe eric freed as a kind and warm person. while those who knew him deal with grief, investigators are looking for answers. martin savidge is following developments for us. we're talking about a beloved priest and a mysterious death. do authorities have leads? >> we believe they have leads, but they're closed-mouthed about what they're learning. we may have an anticipation of how much progress in a few minutes because it's anticipated in the unit of eureka, california, they're geld to hold a news conference. it's a small city, about 3,000 people 300 miles to the north of san francisco. that's why the death in this town is so striking, not only that it's a religious figure,

but it's a town where almost everyone knew each other, and this priest had only been there for two years but in that time, had grown deeply loved by parishioners. yesterday morning, there they are gathered for the 9:00 mass, and the priest doesn't show. someone gets worried and said may they should go next door and find the rectory, which a person did and came back with the horrible news that the priest's body had been discovered. police have not said anything about a cause of death. clearly, they do say it's a homicide. and that's as much as we know. one other thing i'll point out to you, they're trying to locate the priest' automobile, a dark gray nissan altmuhybrid, but authorities won't say if it it was stolen or they're trying to find it. and there was one other break-in at a catholic church after his body was found, police aren't sure if it's connected, but it

could be. >> very interesting to hear what they say when they make their statements later today. this has to be such a blow for the community. as you said, the priest had only been there for three years, but he made such close bonds with so many people there. how are people responding right now to his death? >> they're in shock. and not only are they in shock because they lost a member of their community, but new year's day, the last time the priest was seen was new year's eve, about 6:20 in the evening local tame. i spoke to the mayor. the mayor is clearly shaken. not only that he lost a member of his community. that's his church, his priest, and he was deeply impacted. you could still tell this morning, over the death of his friend. we hope -- we can only hope they're making great progress in the investigation. >> we're hoping they'll all find peace there. thanks so much. gr you're welcome. >> his words caused so many problems before, and now the star of "duck dynasty," phil

robertson, is doing it again. but this time, it's something he said about four years ago. we'll have the details on this coming up next. ♪ [ chainsaw whirring ] humans -- sometimes life trips us up. sometimes we trip ourselves up. and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming at you, so do the solutions. like multi-policy discounts from liberty mutual insurance. save up to 10% just for combining your auto and home insurance. call liberty mutual insurance at... [ thump ] to speak with an insurance expert and ask about all the personalized savings available for when you get married, move into a new house, or add a car to your policy. personalized coverage and savings. all the things humans need to make our world a little less imperfect. call...

and ask about all the ways you could save. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

marry girls when they're just 15 or 16 years old. those words belong to one of the stars of "duck dynasty," phil robertson. and the revelation of this 2009

quote is just the latest spark in the firestorm over the star of a&e's number one show. our pamela brown has more. >> phil robertson, the patriarch of a&e's hit show "duck dynasty" is starting off the new year with a new controversy. a video has surfaced of robertson from 2009 in which he advises men to marry women as a very young age. >> you wait until they're 20 years olds, the only picking thas going to take place is your pocket. you have to marry these girls when they're 15 or 16. >> robertson married his own wife when she was 16 and he was 20. >> what is the tipping point to get it kicked off the air? the answer thus far is nothing. there are more and more people watching the show and more and more people buying their products to show support. >> the family has been the center of a media firestorm since comments robertson made

with gq magazine in which he discussed his opinions on a african-americans and gays. saying homosexual is, quote, not logical, my man, just not logical. a&e suspended robertson from filming and robertson issued an apology. after a flurry of online support, the network reinstated him to the show, saying they decided to resume filming with the entire family. his son willy addressed the issue of his father's initial comabouts. >> we learned a lot and we decided to move on, and family is happy and ready to go. >> a lot of this may have come down to money. with 14 million viewers per episode, "duck dynasty" is a&e's top rated show, and forbes magazine estimates their endorsements and merchandise brought in $400 million in 2013. >> ultimately, it comes down to

audience because the adder vuz s and groups are going to follow what the audience says, and they say, we like the guy. >> pamela brown, cnn, new york. >> cnn's attempts to get comjts from a&e and the robertsons about the latest video were unsuccessful. new episodes are scheduled to air starting january 15th. >> if a pair of socks weren't enough to raise your eyebrows on christmas day, how is this? a gift from the obama family. problem is, it was meant for someone else. elaine church was expecting a christmas package. it was delayed because of dam e damages. when it arrives, there was an additional package. to mama k and papa wellington, from barack, michelle, and the girls. that's astounding, folks. church found the woman it was meant for, the obama girls' god mother, and she's putting the package back in the mail today. and here is a big sister with

some serious bragging rights. the little girl was born in a d.c. hospital just before new year's eve 2013. her twin brother dylan was born a few minutes later, but a whole year later. he, of course, was born after midnight in 2014. that's going to be a problem for them going forward. that's it for me this afternoon. news room continues right now with the fabulous brooke baldwin. >> thank you, my fabulous friend. hi, everyone. i'm brooke baldwin. happy new year. thank you for being with my on this thursday. get ready, bundle up, stay off the roads, stay in your homes if you can, because that's really the plea in a lot of cities today as the first major winter storm of the year is upon us, and forecasters say this nor'easter is no joke. look at the pictures, in the northeast, boston is under a snow emergency. and just in,